Swan Boats — Attraction in Boston

Growing up, I remember one of my favorite books was the "Trumpet of the Swan" by E.B. White. In the book, the main character worked with the Swan Boats of Boston for a brief period of time (I particularly loved this part because he also gets to stay in the Ritz Hotel and orders watercress sandwiches, but I digress). Given the history of the Swan Boats of Boston and their part in one of my favorite childhood books, I was very excited to experience this Boston cultural icon.

On Saturday morning, my BF and I walked over to the Boston Public Garden. We strolled through the garden for awhile before 10, when the Swan Boats open. They're right under the bridge in the middle of the lagoon. There was already a queue forming. You pay at the Swan Boat dock prior to boarding. The cost to ride is $3.50/adult and $2/child (children under 2 years ride for free). The line moved very quickly; we waited no more than 5 minutes.

There are six rows of wooden benches in the boat, and only four people are allowed in a row. The driver of the boat sits in the back (inside the swan) and pedals the passengers around the lagoon. The entire ride lasts about 15 minutes, making a serpentine route under the bridge to the rocky island famous in "Make Way for Ducklings," and back to the dock. The driver doesn't give any audio tour. You just get to ride in the boat and watch all the ducks, the swans (named Romeo and Juliet), and geese swim around.

In operation since 1877, the Swan Boat itself hasn't changed much since then. All the boats have kept the original design, and they are the only boats of their kind in the world. Not to mention, they are still being operated by the Paget family (Robert Paget started the Swan Boats for his wife), so it's a time-honored and cherished tradition.

The Swan Boats operate every day of the week from early April to late September. It's a fairly touristy thing to do, but I loved it. And it has so much history in this city. They are a symbol of the Boston...

This is a lovely and relaxing attraction. The swan boats provide a very nice ride through the pond and around Duck island. The wildlife present in the pond is remarkable, and often quite close to the boat, with even baby ducks being present. Going around Duck island was particularly exiting, due to the sheer amount of waterbirds on and around the island. The boats themselves are very cool, with many of the boats being around 100 years old, with the one I was in being 97. The only downside was the line, even visiting on a weekday can lead to long lines, though the line moves relatively fast. Another minor downside is the inability to buy tickets online, though that can be easily looked past. Even though these minor downsides, I can wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone.

(Date of...

The swan boats is a laid back 10 min ride around the public garden pond. The ride is relaxing for the adults and fun for the children as they usually get excited about seeing the ducks, bridges etc.

Pros: fun for children 2-10, inexpensive, scenic, lines move fast as there are multiple boats picking customers up, boat can sit upto about 15 ppl.

Cons: hours of operation. Daily hours are from 10-5 pm but I wished they opened earlier and closed later during summer hours. It was hard scheduling the swan boat visit bc of the other activities we had planned and extended summer hours would of made it...